Fish-screen.



W. E. CLARK L H. I. STEVENSON,

. FISH SCREEN.

' APPLIGATION FILED 001223, my.

- Patented Sept. 10,1912.

'2 SHEETB-SHEET l.

W. E. CLARK & H. I. STEVENSON.

FISH SCREEN.

APPLICATION BILBD 00T. 23, .191,1.

2 ann-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATns .PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM n. CLARK AND HENRY r. srEvnNsoN, or Borsa, Inmo.

FISH-SCREEN.

Specification of Letters .Patent PatentedSept. 10, :t9-12.

Application filed October 23, 1911. Serial No. 656,119.

To Aall Awhom may cofrtccrn.`

Be itlmown that We, WILLIAM E. CLARK and HENRY I. STEVENSON, citizens.of the United States, residing at Boise, in the county of Ada and Stateof Idaho, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Fish-Soreens; and we do hereby declare the following -to be a full, clear,and exact descripl -tion of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art-jto which it yapper- I tains to make and the saine. v

The present invention relates to anapparatus for obstruct-ing watercourses, espe? cially irrigating ditches, for preventing' iish fromgoing into the water distributing channels. v

The invention further proposes an appar'atus of this character whereinthe same is self cleaning and automatically operable to provide, atpractically all times, an effective obstructing barrier-in the channeland yet allowing a free end easy ow of the Water.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the noveldetails vof construction and combinations of parts more fullyhereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

Referring to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification in which like numerals designate lilrepar'ts in all-'theviews -Figure 1 is a side elevational view,

partly in section, of the apparatus, and Fig.

2 is a top plan sectional vlew thereof taken on the line X-X of Fig. 1.

Referring to the construct-ion in detailthe apparatus consists in awheel journaled within lsuitable bearings ina frame-work a longvv andgraduallyinclined .section 4, and

an abrupt and shorter-inclined section 5 adjoining said section 4 and.providing there,-

with a raised bed for Athe water dow. The

bottom section 6 is disposed within the plane ofthe earthen bed 7 of thechannel.

The wheel consists of two series of spokes 8 constructed of ordinaryangle iron and secured to suitable metallic hub pieces 9. The

hub members 9. arejournaled to rotate on the shaft" 10, and said shaftis suitably mounted in the frame-work as above stated.

A plurality of screens 11 ishcarried cby the wheel, and each .of saidscreens .is securedv within a suitable angle iron frame 12. The screenframes l2 are each, at one end, pivotally secured, as at 13, toacorrespon pair ofthe spokes ,8, and are so mounts as to `depend fromthe wheel during the npward movement `of the screens .the pun osewhereof being to obtainV a self cleaning unci tion for such matter ashas accumulated on the screen during. its obstruction of the water-way.

It is proposed .to have the water-way, 4at

practically all I times, obstructed by l one screen, and .to .this endthe .Wheel is journaled adjacent the raised bed (4 and-5) of --theframefwork in such manner that-the acting :screen will rest .upon theinclined surface y5 .and project .slightly above .the water levl. whichis indicated by the broken line 1n 1g. 1.

Immediately to `the rear of the acting screen is the screen which hasjust previously occupied vthe obstructing position,and which is nowresting with its lower edge across the inclined surface 4. In this posi-`tion said screen also obstructs the waterway.

The water is assumed to be flowing in the -direction indicated by thearrow Y in Fig. 1,

andin so doing carriesthe solid-matter, such as leaves or other trash,against the acting` screen, and when the accumulation of this matter.has become suiiiciently large itv will, through the force of the flow ofthe water, cause the wheel to be rotated to effect the carrying off ofsuch matter and to bring a rear'screen is caused to hang vertically aslindicated by the screen occupying that position in Fig. 1, when thefront screen assumes the position just. occupied by the rear .cleanscreen into position. Inprotating, the

' screen. This operation of the screens allows 25 claims'.4

' 1L *An apparatus for preventing fish from' in Fig. 1, and on thefurther rotation of`the Wheel said scrleen is releasedi when it fallswith a splash-m the Waterwayand assumes i s that position now takenbythe acting-screen as shown in Fig. l.

The splash of the falling screenyvill,- asl demonstrated actualpractice,- .suffice-,t scare away any fish that may be loitering in the'neighborhood of the front obstruct'" ing screen. As also demonstratedbyl actual' practice the obstructing screen remains-in position for aperiod'of hours, and the. ac-

.tual time consumed in changing the screens is about twoseconds (2'. e.from the instant of splash to settling in position). vIn this respect'the apparatus is understood as providing 'at practically alltimes, anobstructing barrier.

It -is obvious' that lthose skilled `in thev art may vary the details.of construction and arrangement of parts Without 'departing Afrom thespiritof our inventiom. and there- A fore we do not wish toLbe limitedto such features exceptas may be required by the passing through a Watercourse comprising a Wheel; journal bearings for said wheel; a

plurality of screens swingingly mounted on saidwheel and disposedtransversely of the Water course; anobstruction'for holding, at lall'times, one of said screens in active position; ,and an obstructionfor intercepting and temporarily holding the next succeed- 'ing'screemsubstantially as described.

2. An `apparatus for preventing passin through a watercourse comprisinga'whee journal bearings for said Wheel; a

plurality of screens swingingly mounted on .said Wheel and disposedtransversely of the fish from" water course; an inclined surface for engagingwitli and holdingvone of said vscreens in actlveposition; anlnclined surface for engaging with and-holding another screen inactive'position; and an obstruction for intercepting and temporarilyholding the

